A contentious battle to win the Republican nomination for a Senate seat in Clive continues with the challenger of incumbent Pat Ward insisting his radio ad targeting her abortion stand is correct.

“Every word in our ad is true,” said Jeff Mullen, a pastor at Point of Grace Church in Waukee who is challenging Sen. Pat Ward of Clive.

Mullen’s ad, playing on some local radio stations, accuses Ward of spending state tax money on abortions. Ward, in turn, released a response ad that noted her voting record and shames Mullen – as a candidate and a pastor – for not telling the whole truth.

The abortion issue was specifically contentious this year. Ward returned to the Senate in a back brace last month, recovering from a storm-related accident, to specifically vote for an amendment to a budget bill that would have placed further limits on state-paid abortions. The amendment ultimately failed.

Mullen says his criticism is from a 2006 vote on a budget bill to the state’s human services department where Ward voted with 42 of her 50 Senate peers. The bill included money to allow people on Medicaid to have taxpayer-paid abortion in cases of rape and incest.

Existing state law follows federal requirements and allows the use of Medicaid money to pay for abortions in those situations and when a mother’s life is threatened. Senate Democrats this year narrowly rejected a Republican proposal supported by Ward that would prohibit poor Iowans from having a taxpayer-paid abortion in cases of rape or incest.

Critics of the Republican proposal say it is financially irresponsible. If approved, it would jeopardize federal funding in the $1.6 billion health and human services budget, which includes money that goes to every hospital in the state, they said.

Regardless, Ward’s 2006 vote for that budget is being called to light by Mullen.

“Pat Ward voted for taxpayer-paid abortions before she voted against them,” Mullen said. “For six years she supported taxpayer-paid abortions. Now, desperate to win reelection, she cast an obvious politically-motivated vote on an amendment that wasn’t going to pass anyway, and has the nerve to claim I am lying about her record.”

Mullen continued: “Pat Ward is one of those so-called ‘moderate Republicans’ who are always giving aid and comfort to left-wing Democrats,” Mullen said. “There’s a lot at stake in this election, and a solidly Republican district like this one should be electing a solid conservative in the State Senate to fight for our values and put taxpayers first.”

The bill passed in a 94 to 0 vote in the House on final passage, including a yes vote from Rep. Ralph Watts, R-Adel who has endorsed Mullen.

“So he attacks Pat Ward for the vote, but at the same time proudly displays an endorsement from someone who voted the exact same way?” asked Brian Dumas, a spokesman for Ward. “Bottom line, Jeff Mullen is a desperate candidate, who has a problem telling the whole truth.”

Dumas continued: “Sadly, these negative attacks by Jeff Mullen are exactly why people are so turned off by politics. Instead of offering ideas on growing Iowa, Jeff Mullen has resorted to a negative campaign filled with half-truths.”